Despite Joe Biden’s pledges, Washington remains the chief arms dealer in the Yemen war and a main vector for intensifying violence.
Recent US arms sales to Riyadh seem to have emboldened Saudi Arabia and the UAE to go on the offensive in Yemen.
By taking the side of the Saudis and Emiratis, the US prolongs civilians’ suffering and risks plunging the US deeper into the war.
The most recent Saudi Arabia arms transfers are allegedly intended for the kingdom’s territorial defense.
But in the last month, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have also ramped up offensive campaigns inside Yemen - aggressive military moves that seem to contradict claims made by Saudi allies in major US newspapers.
We’ve already sold the Saudis billions in offensive weapons, so only selling “defensive” weapons won’t constrain them at all.
Furthermore, the missiles allow Saudi to bolster its blockade of Yemen by preventing humanitarian aid from coming in. A blockade is, by definition, an offensive action.
Despite the Biden administration attempts to distinguish “defensive” from “offensive” weapons it’s clear there is no distinction in terms of how Saudis use them.
The message behind the sales is clear -- U.S. support is unconditional. Rather than working to end the conflict, the U.S. is enabling/abetting Saudi belligerence.
The Saudi and Emirati offensive campaigns are now puttingUS soldiers stationed in the region at immediate risk.
Houthi rebels have recently claimed responsibility for several missile and drone attacks targeting the UAE.
One such attack forced US troops at al-Dhafra air base to scramble for cover in bunkers and repel the strike with Patriot missiles -- an escalation that puts 5000 US troops stationed in the UAE on the war’s frontline.
In response to these attacks, the U.S. is sending a destroyer and fighter jets to reassure the UAE of its support.
Selling more US weapons has led directly to the escalation.
It has also precipitated mounting Houthi counter-attacks outside Yemen.
And puts U.S. troops - who are not yet officially involved in the war - in harm’s way.
The Houthi rebels have–no doubt– committed atrocities and used the civilian population as hostages in the war.
But redesignating them as a terrorist organization will immediately choke a nation on the brink of famine, and allow Houthis to deflect blame onto the US for the aid that won’t reach starving civilians.
This war is already called the Saudi-American war in Yemen, and policies like this only reinforce the image of the US as the aggressor.
The notion of giving the Saudi-led campaign a “few more months” to reinforce their gains is a carte blanche for indefinite war.
The only justified role for America in Yemen is to end its “unconstitutional” complicity in the misery. If the White House can’t take the steps, then Congress should.
